Gas tank cap valve



Aug. 25, 1953 A. w. KONCHAN 2,649,776

- GAS TANK CAP VALVE Filed Nov. 17, 1949IIIHIIIHIIHIHHIHIIllHHIIHHIIHIIHIIIIM "will!!! Patented Aug. 25 1 953UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Anton W. Konchan, Berwyn, Ill. ApplicationNovember 17, 1949, Serial No. 127,943

The present invention relates to a closure cap and more particularly toa tank cap especially adapted for use asaclosure for a gasoline tankopening and provided with a valve for venting the tank to the atmospherewhile preventing the .loss of liquid or vapor through the vent.

As is well known, itis necessary to vent tanks or other storagecontainers having a body of volatile liquid confined therein to preventvapor lock interferencewith the withdrawal of liquid from the tank. Inautomobile gasoline tanks, such a vent is generally provided by means ofa hole of relatively small diameter formed in the cap of the gasoline"tank and communicating directly with the body of fuel contained withinthe tank. The possibilities of fuel loss, both in the liquid and thevapor phases, will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

Any object of the present invention is to provide an improved closurecap especially adapted for use with automobile gasoline tanks, the capbeing provided with a vent aperture and a spring urged closure valve forpreventing loss of fuel, while permitting venting of the tank toatmospheric pressure.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a simplespring-urged valve structure for employment in a vented closure cap toprevent the loss of vapor or liquid from the tank without interferingwith the venting of the tank contents to the atmosphere.

In accordance with the general features of this invention, there isprovided a closure cap for a receptacle opening having opposing camedges, the cap including a body portion insertable into the receptacleopening, and deflectable arms extending outwardly beyond the bodyportion for engaging the cam edges of the opening to position the bodyportion within the opening. A cap cover is secured to the body portionto overlie the same in spaced relation thereto, the cover beingapertured to provide a vent in fluid communication with the interior ofthe receptacle.

A spring urged valve is interposed between the body portion and the capportion, the valve being spring urged to closed position under a lightload 7 to permit venting of the receptacle to atmosphere through thevent hole, while at the same time preventing the flow of either liquidor vapor from the receptacle through the vent hole.

Other objects and features of this invention will more fully appear fromthe following detailed description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings.

On the drawings:

1 Claim. (Cl. 137-541) Figure 1 is a side view of the neck of areceptacle or tank having a cap of the present invention securedthereto;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the receptacle neck;

Figure 3 is a bottom elevational view of the cap of the presentinvention;

Figure 4 is a; sectional view, with parts shown in elevation taken alongthe plane IVIV of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a sectional plane VV of Figure 4,

As shown on the drawings:

In the Figure 1, reference numeral I6 refers generally to a receptacleortank having a generally cylindrical neck portion II projecting upwardlytherefrom and defining an inner opening I2 communicating with theinterior of the tank (Figure 2). The neck portion is provided withconventional diametrically opposed cam or bayonet slots I3I3, opening oncam edges l4, which face the interior of the tank. This structure isconventional in the tank art and particularly in the automobile gasolinetank art.

A tank cap I5 'of the present invention is adapted to be detachablysecured to the neck portion II so as to close the opening I2.

The cap comprises generally a cupped metal stamping I6 provided with acentral, depending, cylindrical cup I8 having opposed slots or ventapertures I9 formed in the side walls thereof. The stamping I6 is alsoprovided with a radially outwardly extending flange 20 provided with anannular depressed portion 2| and a terminal depending flange 22concentric with the cup I8.

A polished cap or lid 23, also provided with a peripheral flange 24, issecured to the stamping I6, as by an inturned terminal flange 25underlying the flange 22 of the stamping Hi. The cap 23 is provided witha central upwardly dished portion in spaced relation to the cap I8having a central restricted orifice or vent, hole 26.

A gasket or seal ring 21 is positioned to abut the flange 20 of the tankI6, the ring 2'! being confined between the flange 20 and the adjacentportions of the neck II, with the annular portion 2| in sealingengagement therewith when the cap is positioned thereon as shown inFigure 4.

The stamping I 6 is secured within the neck I I by means of a lockingelement 28 fastened to the mouth of the cup I8 by suitable means, as byrivets 29. The locking element 28 is provided with opposed defiectiblearms 30 sized to be inserted through the slots I3-I3 of Figure 2 andcontacting the camming surfaces I 4 upon roview taken along the tationof the stamping I6 relative to the neck ll.

A dished valve plate 3| having a downturned peripheral flange 32 nestedand secured within the cup I8 and an upstanding, centrally apertured,central embossment 33, is interposed between the cover 23 and thestamping 16 as best shown in Figure 4. The frusto-conical inner surfaceof the embossment 33 forms a valve seat for a valve 34 having a lowerfrusto-oonical head 35 engaging the valve seat 33 and an upstandingcentral post 36 extending through the aperture in the embossment 33. Thepost 36 terminates in an out turned peripheral flange 31 whichcooperates with the embossment 33 to receive a spiral compression spring38 therebetween.

The operation of the valve 34 will be readily appreciated from theforegoing description and the drawings, in which it will be seen thatthe spring 38 urges the valve head 35 into seating engagement with the,valve seat provided by the embossments 33-, The valve, when. thus seatedby the spring38, prevents the: egress of fumes or liquid from the,interior of the tank or receptacle H)v and the neck H, while upon thecreation of pressures within the neck ll lower than atmosphericpressure. is vented through the vent 36, the valve will be openedagainst the spring38 to permit venting of the receptacle 19 toatmosphere.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effectedwithout departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the presentinvention.

I claim as my invention;

In a closure cap construction for closing the filling opening of a fluidreceptacle, a body mem ber comprising a stamped metal disk drawn into agenerally dished configuration to provide a recess on one face of thedisk and having a struckout centrally apertured. conical embossmentextending into said recess and providing an annular conical valve seaton the opposite face of said disk, a venting valve having acomplementary conical head seated on said seat and having a stemextending into said recess, and a coil spring in said recess having oneend receiving said embossment and connected to said stem to normallyload said valve closed, said valve opening against said spring forautomatic venting, said stamping having a peripheral cylindricalflangeextending in coaxial direction of said valve seat from said oneface of the disk.

ANTON W. KONCHAN.

References Cited in. the file of this patent U IT D ST E PAT Number NameDate 1,326,124 Vischer, Jr. Dec. 23, 1919 1,717,573 M-cAtee- June 18-,1929 1,761,396 Karmazin June 3, 1930 1,777,768 Reid Oct. 7, 19301,922,112 Snell Aug. 15, 1933 2,154,113 Smith Apr. 11, 1939 2,171,168;Swank Aug. 29, 1939 2,203,801 Swank June 11-, 1940 2,334,948 Newton Nov.23, 1943 OTHER REFERENCES Ser. No. 340,456, Blau, Jr. et al. (A.P;-.C.)', published May 25, 1943.

